Steven Fletcher is enjoying living La Belle Vie in France but it has made Scotland’s absence from the Euro 2016 finals even harder to bear.
The striker, who is poised to start up front for the Scots in their friendly against the Czech Republic in Prague tomorrow, is loving his time at Marseille.
As well as working hard on the park for the French league’s second-biggest club behind mega-rich Paris St Germain, Fletcher has managed to find time to soak up the sunshine on the Riviera.
Enjoying the delights of France at the finals is, sadly, something the Tartan Army won’t be able to do this summer.
While Northern Ireland, Wales and England supporters get on planes and trains to cross the channel in their tens of thousands, Scots will have to watch the action on TV.
There is the small matter of a friendly against the French in Metz on June 4 just six days before the Euros start but that will probably just highlight the fact that Gordon’s Strachan’s men have failed to qualify for the festival of football.
Fletcher, who joined Marseille on loan from Sunderland at the end of the January transfer window, knows it will be tough for the fans.
“Living in France is fantastic,” he said.
“My kids are outside playing all day and back in Sunderland they couldn’t really do that.
“For them it’s fantastic and it’s nice for me too.
“I am training at half 10 in the morning and finished by half 12 so I can’t really complain.
“Then I go back home and relax.
“As you can see, I’m sitting in the sun most of the day,” he added, proudly showing off his tan to the assembled media.
“I was thinking to myself that maybe we should be doing more training but they seem to be a bit more relaxed over there.
“I have my family over with me too and there have been a few players helping me out so it’s been quite easy to get to grips with French culture.
“The fans have taken to me as well which is a bit of a change.
“They come over to me but they don’t speak much English so it’s more a case of ‘Fletcher is good!’
“There isn’t a song for me but they fly a Scotland flag in two stands.
“The excitement is also building for the Euros because there are a few games at our stadium, the Velodrome.
“The fans are so passionate down there I think there will be a fantastic atmosphere.”
Asked if all that makes Scotland’s absence more painful, he said: “Yes, it does.
“You are just starting to get over it (not qualifying) and then you move over there and it’s a kick in the teeth to watch the build-up.
“Of course, it would have been nice to play in it.
“But our final friendly in the summer is against France in Metz and that will be a nice game to play in.”
Fletcher’s loan spell at Marseille ends in the summer when he falls out of contract with Sunderland.
He will be moving on again and has already been linked with a trip back home to join Celtic.
The rumour is that he has already bought a house but he wasn’t about to confirm that.
He joked: “I don’t know what to say about that I get my keys on Thursday!
“I think I have been linked with Celtic since I was 18 but I am looking forward to the situation I’m in, although at times it can be scary as well.”
Fletcher is odds-on to start up front in Prague and at least that will give the Scots one more striker than they began with in the infamous match against the Czechs on October 8, 2010.
That was the game when then boss Craig Levein chose to line-up without an out-and-out frontman in a 4-6-0 formation and the hosts notched up a 1-0 win.
Fletcher said: “If I play up front, I play up front.
“I think I was sitting in the stand with you (the press) that night.
“It was obviously frustrating, especially when you are in the stand and not even on the bench.
“Your team are losing and you want to be on the pitch and playing, so it was a frustrating night.
“But I am over that now.”
After the match against the Czechs, the Scots then face Denmark at Hampden in another friendly next Tuesday.